Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

337 reviews

jor_dy's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

first two books of 2023 are both about betrayal,,,,is this a sign or,,,

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racism, Blood, Stalking, Car accident, and Outing

Moderate: Homophobia and Classism

Minor: Racial slurs and Suicide attempt

bruts_bane's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This book is super emotional nothing could’ve prepared me for what happens, please be sure to check the content warnings. This is the first thriller I’ve read, it was definitely super suspenseful! I love the contrast between who Chiamaka is compared to Devon. They’re so different in so many ways, but they work so well together. Some parts of the book had me on the edge of my seat, it’s so tense. The author does a really good job at that. I loved this book but it broke my heart (cant say too much for spoilers). The representation in this book is done so well, I think it’s an important read especially if your a young person of colour. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Car accident, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Suicide attempt

jen1804's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I need time to reflect and gather my thoughts, but this is 5/5 read.
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This is one of those books which I think will stay with me forever. It’s a gossip girl/pretty little liars/get out vibe, dark academia story, which features the scary possibilities that institutionalised racism can demonstrate.
This is a suspenseful thriller with an excellent plot and well developed characters who have realistic feelings and emotions. I found the whole thing rather reflective, making me think about my own white privilege. There are some absolutely chilling moments and I gave some audible gasps.
In my heart I hope that the sick, calculated and wide spread hatred represented in this book is completely and utterly fiction, but I know that it does indeed highlight the racism that is still very much a prominent thing of this century. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé does a fantastic job of demonstrating the everyday issues that those existing in darker skinned bodies must deal with, whilst also elaborating on it in a more dramatic way through the social commentary of institutionalised racism within a high school.
The pacing of the novel was perfect and I felt engaged all the way through. I also enjoyed the exploration of the LGBTQ+ difficulties and especially how it intertwined with race and culture.
Check trigger warnings before reading as this book covers a lot, but it does so in the best possible way.
Satisfactory ending? Yes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Body shaming, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting

jayisreading's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.75

I didn’t love or hate this book. It was fast-paced and engaging, but I felt that it was a little predictable… only because it was marketed as being similar to Get Out. And… yeah, it was, but with “dark academia” vibes. If I hadn’t watched Get Out or went in without knowing its similarities to the film, I probably would have enjoyed the twists far more than I did.

Ace of Spades was incredibly ambitious in what it wanted to tackle, but I felt that it wasn’t as well executed as it could have been. Perhaps this would have played out a lot better if it were a duology or something, but I think Àbíké-Íyímídé wanted to address too many topics in one book. Chiamaka’s biracial identity is one that I would have loved to learn more about (because it clearly impacted her), but isn’t really touched on. Similarly, Devon’s gay identity is one the author does dive into a fair bit, but it’s generally from a position of showing how Devon has to deal with homophobia more than anything else. There were really interesting points made about the incarceration of loved ones, socioeconomic status, etc. that clearly shaped the lives of the protagonists, but they weren’t fully developed.

The cast of characters were probably the strongest part of the book, with many of them being incredibly memorable. I wish Àbíké-Íyímídé developed the side characters more, because that might have helped address a lot of the “tackling too many topics at once” issue.

Again, I thought this book was pretty engaging. I think there was a lot left to be desired, but, at the core of it, Àbíké-Íyímídé draws attention to an ongoing issue in the academy of how Black students are (mis)treated.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Outing, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

Minor: Death, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

lironore's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Car accident, Murder, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Classism

icarus_has_risen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book. It punched me in the gut, it kicked me, it made me cry. And I’m still going to read it again and again and again. I can’t get over how much I love this book. It’s message is one everyone needs to understand- no matter how uncomfortable it is. Black stories need to be told and listened to, and this book is so perfect. It’s full of justice and hatred and sadness and joy. If you need to read one book, read this one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Outing, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Gun violence, Sexism, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury

mattesserc's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Loooool in this life trust no one 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

brie333's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

So damn close to a 5 star. A great problem for the author to have but I wish it was longer. I was so immersed in this book that the end felt rushed. I wanted more things fleshed out. It was a very personal and vulnerable story to read and it was awesome I just wanted more. More of Devon’s story specifically; his ending felt very abrupt. 

It was a great read. That being said, check the cws, don’t let TikTok fool you. This gets deep. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, and Police brutality

annikareads_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Stalking, Outing, and Toxic friendship

kirstenf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, and Classism

Moderate: Drug use, Genocide, and Gaslighting

Minor: Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol